Starting a Good Habit: Meta Information and Crawlers Shakespeare once penned, "How use doth breed a habit in a man." He was definitely onto something with that statement, as studies have shown that it can take up to twenty-one days for an action to become a habit. This usually means that the individual needs to make a concerted effort to repeat the same action in order for the subconscious to register it as an action that should be retained, as it will be likely continually repeated in the future. In this respect, a search engine crawler, or spider, is a lot like man. Search engines will note specific terms that are being entered by the online visitor, crawl through sites with that meta information, and make note of the websites being accessed. The more times the website meets specific criteria and is being accessed, the more importance, or ranking, it is given. It becomes a "habit" for the crawler to go to that site because it meets the criteria of the online visitor, and is being accessed and used on a regular basis. So, how do you get the crawlers to notice you? Working on your Search Engine Optimization is key. The terms that those visitors enter into the search engines need to be placed in your metatags, meta descriptions, and page content. That signals to the spiders that this page is relevant to the visitor, and the spider creates a "web" of pages that fit the criteria. Once the spider visits your site enough times, it will become habitual for it to recommend your site to visitors, which means that your ranking gets better and better with time. The key here is to have the meta information that will help those crawlers to initially notice you. With your Point2 Agent site, you initially get default meta information for all of your website pages, which can be fully customized by your or the company you hire to do your SEO work. The key thing to consider is to use terms and words that not only relate to real estate terms, but also the cities and neighborhoods you service. Think about what you would enter into a search engine when looking for a home. The answer may surprise you! Now, think about the specific pages on your site. Each page is likely focused on a different topic or issue facing online buyers and sellers. The meta information for each individual page will yield more results if it is customized for that page. For instance, if the page is directed towards sellers, then terms related to selling are more applicable and should be part of that meta information. This helps the crawlers target the pages that make the most sense for the online visitor. More than anything, if "use doth breed a habit in a man", then regularly reviewing your SEO work and considering additional terms and phrases will begin a habit within yourself to habitually check your meta information and ensure that it is still relevant and helpful. For detailed instructions on how to access your meta information for the pages on your Point2 Agent website, you can either read the User Manual or watch the Training Video. ~ Tanya Spilchak, Education Coordinator |